Damn good point that I've not heard anyone else make. I like it when other readers pinpoint something I've felt on some level myself without realizing it until it's pointed out to me. With all the people in the Land, it's like the Land has become some kind of group therapy session, family counseling. I can't decide if this expands the universality of the Land's truths, or if it just robs the world of what made it special. Donaldson seemed to have walked that tightrope convincingly (between special and universal) up until now.ussusimiel wrote:Some of it may have to do with how many characters from our world are now involved in the world of the Land: Covenant, Linden, Hile Troy, Joan, Jeremiah, Roger. It's a regular crowd now and none of the later additions seem, to me, to be integral to the Land itself in the way that Covenant, Linden and Hile Troy were in the 1st and 2nd Chrons.
There are two ways to look at this. One could make the argument, as you do, that it's a narrative problem. Not only does it make the journeys seem ad hoc or too easy, it is also the plot device that allows room in the narrative for sitting around for the rest of the time. So it enables both a frenzied, unsatisfying, disconnected sense of travel, coupled with an infuriatingly large amount of time sitting around talking.ussusimiel wrote: Willy-nillyness is the ability to move from one place to another without effort, for me this removes a huge quest element from any fantasy novel. Think of how much pleasure we get in the two earlier Chrons from the long journeys and the fantastic voyages. Imagine just being able to zap into Elemesnedene and zip out again. No struggle, no effort and essentially nothing learned or gained. Ditto Gravin Threndor and Foul's Creche.
On the other hand, these very elements could be viewed in a positive light, a masterly show of contrasts that grates upon our readerly expectations ("Get on with it!" vs "Whoa, slow down!") for the very same reason that attacks upon time grate against Linden's senses. It's formication for the readers. It's allowing us to experience extremes as the Land itself is facing extremes. And it's doing it in a way that Donaldson hasn't attempted before. Not only is it a courageous choice as a writer, it's specifically tied to pacing, or a sense of time, which is the structure being attacked in this particular Chronicles. Just think for a moment of the scale of the achievement in simultaneously giving readers the impression of dizzying, frenzied travel in a book as painfully plodding as AATE.
